Nick Saban addresses pressure on players, rat poison

Nick Saban doesn’t want the pressure of success to weigh on the shoulders of his players. In his Saturday press conference, the Alabama Crimson Tide head coach spoke on the anxiety his players deal with, even comparing the media’s expectations to rat poison.

“Basically I think the biggest thing that we have to deal with with our guys is the anxiety these players have,” said Saban, per the team’s YouTube. “First of all, they read what you guys write.

“They read that they’re supposed to be in the Playoff, they read that they’re No. 1. They read all these things that I’ve referred to as rat poison before. So that creates a lot of anxiety.”

Furthermore, Saban went on to elaborate on how it affects all his players, ranging from the older guys, to the new recruits.

“So you got that going on with the older guys. I’m trying to convince them that hey man, we just gotta play our game. Everybody’s gotta play their game,” said Saban. “Don’t put pressure on yourself thinking you gotta be something that you’re not. We gotta play together on the team.

“Then, you got young guys who were recruited that have high expectations for what they want to accomplish and what they want to do. In some cases, maybe not realistic in terms of how long they’ve focused on what they have to do, the process of getting it right. 

“They get a little frustrated because they’re not making the kind of progress that they want to make.”

“We really gotta get everybody in the right mindset.”

While Saban may see the anxiety levels rising throughout his team, worries will eased by victories to begin their season. As it draws near, the Crimson Tide head coach is focusing on getting his team in the right mindset.

“All these variables circling around on your team. We really gotta get everybody in the right mindset, just to buy in to doing the things that they need to do to play well,” Saban said. “I think for different guys on the team there’s an anxiety level for different reasons. We want to have high achievement, motivation and low anxiety, and have guys excited about playing.”

While Saban may believe in his philosophy, the Crimson Tide are undergoing a transformation this season. There are plenty of new faces in new places, as many of the offensive starts that brought a championship to Tuscaloosa have moved on.

Earlier this summer, Saban mentioned that this team has to earn it. In addition to the preseason accolades, many of the Crimson Tide players will be looking to prove themselves worthy.

Pressure causes many to fall, but it also can create diamonds. We’ll see what side Nick Saban’s 2021 Alabama Crimson Tide resides on next month.